South Korean violinist Sueye Park presents a captivating album pairing Karl Goldmark's 1877 Violin Concerto with Sibelius miniatures, including the bucolic Suite from 1929, Two Serious Melodies, and two Humoresques. Her silvery, fluid tone proves ideal for the long lyrical lines of the Goldmark, a relative rarity in concert halls but well-represented on disc.
Goldmark Concerto: Engaging Despite Its Length
The Goldmark concerto might take its time, but Park's performance remains consistently engaging. The Allegro moderato frequently soars, supported by spirited playing from the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Valentin Egel. The central Andante is poetically done, its disarming melodies cleanly articulated. The finale is warm and elegant; Park succeeds in holding the attention across its protracted 17-minute span.
Sibelius Miniatures: Charm and Nuance
Sibelius's Suite is a charmer, its unpretentious pastoralism eliciting a lightness of touch from orchestra and soloist. The central Serenade features exquisite pianissimo playing. The Two Serious Melodies, warmly dispatched, lack the bardic solemnity of less overtly romantic performances, while the D major Humoresque misses the airy fantasy of Pekka Kuusisto's interpretation. The album presents a game of two halves, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that.
The composers crossed paths when Sibelius studied briefly under Goldmark in 1890s Vienna, but despite the polite whiff of folk music in the Hungarian's concerto, it has little in common with Sibelius's unvarnished Nordic nationalism. Park makes her debut at the BBC Proms on 21 July.
